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Help needed with Crate training and general puppy advice

Thank you all for taking time to read this and offer advice. We bring home our 8 week old pup this weekend so I'm in the process of trying to prepare for him and make sure we have everything he will need but I spent most of yesterday on the internet researching crate training and I have read so much conflicting advice I'm just now at a loss Please can you help?

So the plan will be to have the crate in the lounge with us so we can start getting him used to the crate...I read that the crate should have a puppy pen round it and that the door to the crate should not be shut until the pup is at least 12 weeks old....is this right??? So what would happen at night time?

I should mention that I have 6 cats and they are fed altogether in the kitchen....should I feed our puppy in the puppy pen near his crate?

if your not prepared to get up in the middle of the night and let them out dont close the gate.they get up and do thier buisiness as far from the crate as possible.

I would always get up with a dog.After all, if it were a child crying to be changed during the night, you'd get up.The point of crate training is teaching a pup to keep a clean living environment, allowing your pup to poop in the house when he fancies and then teaching "outside toileting" can and will be frustrating for your pup and you.Start as you mean to go on

When Scarlett was this age, at night time,I would take her out at the latest at 12am and set my alarm clock 2 hours later,let her out and straight outside.Then every two hours after.Also at any time she cried to go out.As your pup progresses,you'll be able to leave the time between toileting, longer.

I think with a puppy from 12 weeks, you begin to learn the different types of cries - from whiney to "quick I need out!" whine

I always leave water in her crate as dogs should always have access to water.Insufficient amounts of water can cause the urine to become more concentrated in the bladder and lead to UTIs esp in un-spayed bitches.

ETA - Dehydration can also be fatal for puppies esp those who *may* be a little underweight, or dogs on meds,diabetes ect.

It may be worth advising to begin teaching your pup to signal at the door, to avoid accidents.The less "inside poops" and lots of praise and teaching a que word will all help in the pup becoming housetrained.If and when your pup has an accident, say nothing, clean it with either white vinegar or biological washing powder to lift the smell from the surface as dogs return to the same spot to "business" as they're drawn to the scent.Biological contains the enzyme that lifts the scent.

At one stage we had four Cavaliers and three cats .The cats were always fed at a different time and in a different room with their food out of reach of any patrolling Cavaliers .The Cavaliers ,three are fed in their own crate and Lily with me in the kitchen while I tidy up as Poppy is a quick eater ( and if free will eat anything in sight ) followed by Lily then Rosie and finally Daisy who finishes when she is ready .Sleeping all four have their own crate with Poppy ,Daisy and Rosie all together in the lounge and Lily in her crate upstairs by our bed .With a new puppy always leave the door open during the day so the pup can come and go and get used to it ,and with regard to nighttime its a battle of wits for the first few nights till they settle down ,so good luck and enjoy your wonderful new baby Cavalier .

Thanks Brian, forgot to mention about the day time I'd give Scarlett a frozen kong with organic honey in and natural yogurt and a few diced carrots inside and place it in her bed with the crate door open.

It's all about making their crate their special place where they can enjoy going for a chew or a snooze.To make their bed or crate seem more familiar smelling, I have always placed a t-shirt of mine or my hubbys inside, just draped inside her bed.She'd hop in there on her own accord, have an investigate of her kong and I'd hear her snoring a few moments later!

I once found her fast asleep with a half frozen kong attached to her ear fur at about 16 weeks :rollseyes: She looked up at me as she woke up with it hanging off.It was a bit "Scarlett does Pat Butcher" Sorry US members.I had to laugh.Don't ya just love 'em?

Actually coming to think of it, she's having a post walk snooze in there now - bless.

GoodDoggie is a certified, professional dog trainer, and her advice is the right starting point. I agree the best option is to get up at night -- this hastens indoor housetraining because though you can give them space distant from the crate to go -- eg have the crate inside a puppy pen -- then they get housetrained more slowly because you are giving two conflicting messages -- go outside, but sometimes at night you can go inside. Most new puppy owners will need to get up at 3-4am nightly with their puppy for the first couple of weeks.

You don't ever need to shut the door if the crate is kept inside the playpen BUT it is useful to actually crate train your pup to staying happily in the crate for periods of time. Plenty of advice on doing this in the book mentioned below. On feeding the cats -- just feed the pup in the playpen area. You cannot freefeed cats with a dog in the house however -- this breed especially will tend to eat all their food and grow fat! I keep my cats' dry food up on a counter where the dogs cannot reach it.

I'd also advise downloading this FREE copy of Dr Ian Dunbar's well known book After You Get Your Puppy, below. It has types of great advice on training and behaviour -- everything that a new owner will need!

It's a shame your puppy's breeder won't keep him a bit longer though? -- 8 weeks is considered pretty young for toy breeds and they really benefit in terms of housetraining, bite inhibition and socialisation if they stay with parent and siblings til 10-12 weeks (more the norm for homing the breed with most reputable breeders these days).

if your not prepared to get up in the middle of the night and let them out dont close the gate.they get up and do thier buisiness as far from the crate as possible.

I would always get up with a dog.After all, if it were a child crying to be changed during the night, you'd get up.The point of crate training is teaching a pup to keep a clean living environment, allowing your pup to poop in the house when he fancies and then teaching "outside toileting" can and will be frustrating for your pup and you.Start as you mean to go on

When Scarlett was this age, at night time,I would take her out at the latest at 12am and set my alarm clock 2 hours later,let her out and straight outside.Then every two hours after.Also at any time she cried to go out.As your pup progresses,you'll be able to leave the time between toileting, longer.

I think with a puppy from 12 weeks, you begin to learn the different types of cries - from whiney to "quick I need out!" whine

I always leave water in her crate as dogs should always have access to water.Insufficient amounts of water can cause the urine to become more concentrated in the bladder and lead to UTIs esp in un-spayed bitches.

ETA - Dehydration can also be fatal for puppies esp those who *may* be a little underweight, or dogs on meds,diabetes ect.

It may be worth advising to begin teaching your pup to signal at the door, to avoid accidents.The less "inside poops" and lots of praise and teaching a que word will all help in the pup becoming housetrained.If and when your pup has an accident, say nothing, clean it with either white vinegar or biological washing powder to lift the smell from the surface as dogs return to the same spot to "business" as they're drawn to the scent.Biological contains the enzyme that lifts the scent.

Good Luck and looking forward to pictures x

Hello fellow Yorkshire Lass! Thanks for all the advice. Is it wise to use a puppy pen as well to feed Harry in and leave his crate in? I need to feed him away from the cats and so that he doesn't feel intimidated whilst the cats are around?

Hi GoodDoggie - many thanks for the advice and for pointing me in the direction of Ian Dunbar!

Please correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't the website suggest that a toilet area is placed within the puppy pen along with the crate? Isn't this then defeating the object of training them to toilet outside...?

I'm am just really confused with which is the 'wrong' and which is the 'right' way to do this

your right ive never heard of placeing a toilet area inside a pen for the dog id leave that bit out personally,also the play pen isnt entirely necessary.

basically there are 3 ways to toilet train

Paper method-not very effective and slower becasue your teaching dog to go on papers and then having to teach them again to go outside,unhygeinic,recomended for people who are out all day and cant watch thier puppy

Punishement-Dont go thier!

Crate training-you cant go wrong,only problem is you have to be thier and contantly keeping an eye on them.